I just attended the ATD International Conference and Expo in San Diego to further my education. My head was swarming after reading through what seemed like a never-ending website, each page loaded with tons of information. This is a training-industry conference and is one of the big ones. This is the second time I attended this particular training industry event which is mostly focused on learning technologies and leadership. But it’s not that simple. It is a massive arena.

I wanted to plan which sessions I was going to attend. Quite honestly, I felt more confused than ever. On the first day alone, there were 70 sessions to choose from. Yikes, I only had 7 hours at the conference including lunch, exhibit halls, and breaks. How am I supposed to choose? The second day of the conference offers 65 sessions. Really? How can any one person make a decision as to which sessions are the best?

11 Post Conference Tips for Success

Hopefully, you have read the first 5 Blogs of this Series. But if not, that is ok. You can jump in here. Often many of us go off to conferences. We spend a lot of time getting ready for the trip and invest several days attending the event. But what about when we get back? We tend to jump right back into our work routine and get busy. We forget that post-conference activities can help solidify what we learned and lock it in for long-term success.

Wende Morrow has been a C-Suite Executive Assistant for 32 years (20 of that legal). Wende’s current title is Senior Executive Assistant of R&R Partners, directly reporting to CEO Billy Vassiliadis.

As I reflect on the many things from the Office Dynamics 24th Annual Conference for Administrative Excellence and the beloved Office Dynamics Webinars I’ve watched, the most common thread that sings to me the loudest both personally and professionally is CHANGE and how to deal with it. Not many people really talk deeply and honestly thru the realities of all of that on a personal, female level.

I love that Joan Burge and Courtney Clark (2017 Office Dynamics Conference speaker) in particular, have taken the time to share their raw truth of experiences on change. To talk about how to deal with it; be with it; talk and walk with it; walk THROUGH it; get up and OVER it (versus UNDER it). Some of my most cherished relatable experiences are in Joan’s Give Yourself Permission to Live aBig Life book. I am forever grateful that these brave women have shared their personal losses and triumphs to the world for us to lean into again and again. As we all know too well, change is all too often huge, unexpected and most assuredly CONSTANT, never completely easy and seamless and discriminates to no one.

This past August I turned 50. I am learning that change and disappointment at every age has its own challenges, but I am forever on the quest of kaizen (Japanese term for continuous improvement) to take the sting out of it and to make it a positive fruitful journey at every turn, no matter how daunting the roadmap looks at the beginning.

Along the lines of accepting change and making it your friend versus foe, I wanted to share a most splendid quote.

“If the door closes, quit banging on it! Whatever was behind it, wasn’t meant for you. Consider the fact that maybe the door was closed because you were worth so much more than what was on the other side.” ~ Anon

Since there are so many administrative conferences being offered, I would like to walk you through a series of blogs on how to select the conference that is right for you, gain approval and how to get the most for your investment.

As an administrative professional, you probably think of yourself as an employee. You provide a service to your organization, and in return, they provide a paycheck. But what would life be like if you were to shift your mindset and instead of thinking like an employee, you thought like an owner? In today’s competitive business world, this is perhaps the most essential hidden ingredient for exceptional career success and professional satisfaction—and it’s 100% within your control.

In this free webinar replay, Joan and her special guest, Daren Martin, PhD, are exploring the revolutionary concept of the ownership mentality—what it is, why it matters, and how to develop it. Daren is the author of “A Company of Owners,” a book that’s taking the corporate world by storm, transforming how organizations operate and how employees think. We’re thrilled that Daren will also be a keynote speaker at the Office Dynamics 23rd Annual Conference for Administrative Excellence in October![Read more…]